Starter for engines



S. A. ELLETT. STARTER FOR ENG1NES. APfLlcATmN F|LED1uNE24,1919y \...u IUIL .l 1 mm Ilmmnnln,

UNITE-D lSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEISHEN A. ELLETT, or ELMIRA, NEW Yonx.

STARTER FOR ENGINES.

Application led June 24,

reliable and efiicient automatic device of this character, consisting of a minimum number of parts which are easily accessible, assembled or taken apart and manufactured at a low cost.u

Other and further objects of my invention will become apparent to thos'eskilled in the art vfrom the following description.

My invention consists of structural characteristics and relative arrangements of elements which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, in which similar reference characters indica-te the same parts in the several figures of the drawings- Figure 1, is a longitudinal vertical sectional view with parts in elevation, through a structure embodying my invention in associationwith a dynamo-electric machine;

Fig. 2, is-a fragmentary side elevation of the invention as shown in Fig. 1, partly in section;

Fig. 3, represents on a reduced scale detached and perspective views of several of the elements comprising the invention, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line IV-IV 0f Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is a dynamo-electric machine provided with the usual poles 11, 11, armature 12v and commutator 13 carried by a ho'llow shaft 14 rotating in suitable ball bearings 15, 1'5 and is capable of starting the engine when used as a motor, and generating electric current when used as a dynamo.

Longitudinally movable and non-rotatably supported within' said hollow armature shaft 14 is a splined shaft 16, provided at one end with a threaded portion 17 carrying and engaging an internally threaded pinion 18, the teeth 19 of which are adapted to mesh with teeth 2O on the periphery of a iy wheel 21 of a gas engine, not shown, for purposes to be' presently described. 22.is a

1919. serial No. 306,278.

ball bearing on the outside of the motor casing and surrounding the splined shaft 16 and is reduced to form a shoulder at its outer section 23 to fit into a shallow depression or socket 24 in the inner end of the pinion 18 to form a iirm support for said pinion 18 when in mesh with theA fly wheel 20. f

The other end of the splined shaft 16 is threaded, as shown at 25, and provided with a shoulder 26 at the inner end of the threaded portion 25.' Non-rotatably and irmly secured to the threaded end 25 and abutting against the shoulder 26 of the shaft 16 is a nut 2.7 having a series of keyways 28, 28, and a circular shoulder 29. 30 is a nut-lock engaging the outer end of the threaded portion25 of theshaft 16 and securely locking the nut 27 on said shaft 16 and against the shoulder 26. Surrounding the shaft 16 and interposed between and abutting against the inner side of the shoulder 29 and outer sid-e of the washer 29 abutting against a shoulder n the outside of the hollow armature shaft 14 is a coil or compression spring 31, which normally tends to move to the left the splined shaft 16 through the hollow shaft 14, for purposes to be presently described.

32 is a ratchet clutch member surrounding the nut 27 and arranged between the nutlock 30 and shoulder 29 and is provided with splines 33, 33, to engage the key-ways 28, 28, on nut 27, thereby permitting said clutch member 32 to have a slight move- Specicaton of Letters Patent Patented Dec, 13 1921, l

ment on saidtnut 27 along the length of o the shaft 16, with the nut lock 30 acting as a stop and'locked against rotation round said shaft. n

' Arranged between the ratchet clutch member 32 and shoulder 29 are a series of small coil springs 34, 34, preferably four as shown, which are held in position by pins 35, and are for the purpose of normally forcing the clutch member 32 toward and against the nut-lock 30 and providing a longitudinally yielding connection between the nut 27 and member 32. Another ratchet clut'ch member 36 having ratchet teeth cooperating with the ratchet teeth on clutch member 32 is secured by means of any suitable fastening means as a tapered pin 37 to a rotatable shaft 38 connected with `the gears or other suitable means for conveying the rotary motion from the gas engaging lshaft, not shown, to the armature of the dynamo electric machine,

The parts being constructed and arranged as hereln described, the operation of the device is as follows: i

The gas engine and dynamo electric ma- Chine being at rest, the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, and on energizing the electric motor 10, the armature 12, hollow.

shaft 14 and splined shaft 16 are rotated and causes the threaded pinion 18 on outer end of shaft 16 to move from its outer position, as shown in Fig. 1, to its inner position, as

indicated in Fig. 2, so that the teeth 19 ofy said pinion 18 mesh with the teeth 2O on fly wheel 21, this operation being effected for the reason that the initial rotary torque exerted on ypinion 18 by the splined shaft seated against and rotatable on the ball' bearing 22, and in mesh with the fly wheel 21, the continued and increased rotation of the splined shaft 16 and the action of its threaded portion 17 ,with thecorresponding internal vthreads of the pinion 18, causes the shaft 16 to move longitudinally within its hollow armature shaft 14 and carrying with it the nut 27, nut lock 30, and clutch member 32 and completely compress the spring 81 between the shoulder 29 and washer 29', as shown in Fig. 2. In this position of the shaft 16 and relation of the nut 27 with the compressing spring 31, and pinion 18 with respect to the fly wheel 21, the fly wheel 21 is rigidly geared by means of the pinion 18 to shaft 16, and the rotationof the armature 12, due to the energizing of the motor 10, revolves the fly wheel 21 of the gas engine and cranks or starts the same. l As soon as the gas engine has fully started and the motor 10 is denergized or the shaft 16 and its pinion 18 are of's'uch a rotary speed as to permit the fly wheel 21 to have a speed greater than that with which the pinion 18 is able to keep up with, the pinion 18 is disengaged from the fly wheel and the shaft 16 and pinion 18 again assume the position shown in Fig. 1, and the clutching member 32 is in driving engagement with the clutching member 36 by their interengaging ratchet teeth, and hence the rotation of the shaft 38, now having been set in motion by the starting of the gasI engine, is made to rapidly revolve the armature 12 and gen-y erate electricity for the storage batteries and ignition system.`

From the foregoing disclosure of the construction and operation of my invention, it

will be seen that I have ,devised a starter which is simple and all the parts are easily manufactured, inspected and adjusted and requires no skilled mechanic to install the same or special machinery or castings to make the several parts;

It is obvious that various other forms and modifications may be made and used without departing from the essential feature and principle of my invention and I do not wish to be 4understood as limiting myself to the specific and preferred construction herein shown and described'. 1'

What I claim is z- 1. A starter for an engine comprising, in combination with an engine driven member to start the same, awsingle dynamo elecrotated by the engine carrying a clutch member, a combined movable and rotatable shaft rotated by or rotating said armature and having a threaded section,"a pinion movable on said rotatable shaft and engaging the threaded section of said movable shaft for engaging and actuating the engine driven member, and a clutch on said movable shaft for engaging and disengaging the-*clutch member on the shaft rotated by the engine.

2. A starter for an engine comprising, in combination with an engine driven member to start the same, a single dynamo electric machine having an armature, a shaft rotated by the engine carrying a clutch member, a combined movable and rotatable shaft rotated by or rotating said armature, a pinion loosely supported on one end of said movable shaft for engaging and actuating the engine driven member and also arranged and constructed to react against and move said movable shaft, and means on the other end of said movable shaft for engaging or disengaging the clutch member on the shaft rotated by the engine.

v 3. A starter for an engine comprising, in combination with an engine driven member to start the sa'me, a single dynamo electric machine having an armature, a shaft rotated by the engine carrying a clutch member, a combined movable and rotatable shaft within said armature and rotated by or rotating said armature, a 'spring normally reacting against the movement of said movable shaft,

a combined movable and rotatable pinion loosely supported on one end of said movable shaft for actuating the engine driven member and also constructed and arranged to react against and adapted to move the movable shaft, and means on the other end of said movable shaft for engaging or disengaging the clutch member on the shaft rotated by the en in 4. A starter or an engine comprising, in combination with an engine driven member to" start the same, asingle dynamo electric machine having an armature, a' hollow shaft tric machine having an armature, a shaft l10o e within said armature and rotated by or rotating said armature, a shaft carrying a clutch member and rotated by the engine, a movable shaft supported within and rotated by said hollow shaft, a combined movable and rotatable pinion loosely supported on one enl of said movable shaft for engaging and actuating the engine driven member and also constructed and arranged to react against and adapted to move the movable shaft, a spring normally reacting against the movement of said movable shaft within the hollow shaft, and means on the other end of said movable shaft for engaging or disengaging the clutch member on the shaft rotated by the engine.

5. A starter for an engine comprising, in combination with an engine driven member to start the same, a single dynamo electric machine having an armature, a hollow shaft within said armature and rotated by or rotating said armature, a shaft carrying a clutch member and rotated by the engine, a movable shaft supported within and rotated by said hollow shaft, a combined movable and rotatable pinion loosely supported on one end of said movable shaft for engaging and actuating the engine driven lmember and also constructed and arranged to react against and adapted to move the movable shaft, a spring normally reacting against the movement of said movable shaft within the hollow shaft, and a clutch nut on the other end of said movable shaft for engaging or disengaging the clutch member on the shaft rotated by the engine.

ln testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

STEPHEN A. ELLETT. 

